Red Sox: Chris Sale details left elbow woes

Tuesday

It was a somewhat relieved Red Sox left-hander addressing the media prior to his club beginning a two-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Sale had dodged a medical diagnosis the previous afternoon in Florida that could have cost him the rest of the 2019 season and likely all of the 2020 campaign.

Boston’s erstwhile ace won’t require Tommy John surgery. There is no damage to the ulnar-collateral ligament in his left elbow. A visit with orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Florida confirmed a case of elbow inflammation, something that will have Sale shut down for up to six weeks.

“He checked it out and we got some better news,” Sale said. “Obviously not great news, but about as good as we could get. We rest four to six weeks, get on a throwing program and get back to it.”

Sale felt stiffness for two days following his Tuesday start in Cleveland and reported his symptoms to the club Friday. The Red Sox sent Sale for an MRI on Saturday and placed him on the 10-day injured list. Boston booked Sale a plane ticket alongside director of sports medicine service and head team trainer Brad Pearson to visit Andrews.

“I think obviously it’s not the worst of the cases,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Now we move forward with the process. Hopefully he’ll be back at full strength.”

Sale received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will resume physical activity through shoulder and forearm exercises later this week. He’ll continue those for at least four weeks and be revaluated by Andrews in early October before the decision will be made as to whether or not he can resume throwing.

Sale struggled through what is almost certainly the worst season of his career prior to his injury. He pitched to a 4.40 ERA through 25 starts, and his run inside the top six in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award will end at seven straight years. Brian Johnson took Sale’s place in the rotation for Tuesday’s game with Philadelphia.

“Everyone talks about last year being the dream season,” Sale said. “Personally, this has been kind of the nightmare season.”

Sale’s health is also a significant organizational concern for the Red Sox after signing him to a five-year, $145-million contract extension at the end of spring training. That deal starts with the 2020 season, and the 30-year-old Sale is tied to the club through 2024.

Sale is expected to be a cornerstone of a rotation that could also include David Price, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez through at least the 2021 season.

“I’ve still got a lot of ground to cover for this team, and I plan on doing so,” Sale said. “I want to do that to the best of my ability. This was the way we had to go.”

Boston started Tuesday six games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the second AL wild-card spot.

Rodriguez and Rick Porcello are the only two Red Sox starters remaining from the preseason rotation who have taken a regular turn throughout the past four months. Price (left elbow, left wrist) and Eovaldi (right elbow) have combined for three stints on the injured list this season.

“Losing a talent like him, it’s tough,” Cora said. “But we’ve got to move forward. That’s the way we see it.

“He would hate us to say that we’re done because he’s not pitching. That’s not the case with us. We know where we’re at and we know what we have to do.”

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